You are here

Church of England urged to follow ACC divestment recommendation on Caterpillar

The Church of England should follow the recommendation of the Anglican Consultative Council and vote to divest from companies supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine during its General Synod this weekend, campaigners will say at a fringe meeting at York University on Friday (8 July). The Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group has been examining whether the £2 million of shares currently held in Caterpillar are consistent with the Church’s ethical investment policy, which prohibits investment in arms companies or companies making ‘weapons platforms’ such as naval vessels or tanks.

Caterpillar has been singled out by the United Nations for complicity in human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As detailed in War on Want’s recent ‘alternative report’ on Caterpillar, thousands of Palestinian homes and vast swathes of agricultural land have been destroyed by the Israeli military using armoured Caterpillar D9 bulldozers. Caterpillar bulldozers have also been used in the construction of Israel’s Separation Wall, ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice one year ago, in July 2004.

War on Want campaigners will urge the Anglican Communion to follow the example of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which decided last year to implement a process of divestment from companies, such as Caterpillar, which benefit from Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. They were joined by the United Methodist Church on 11 June this year.

Nick Dearden, Campaigns Officer at War on Want, said: “Israel continues to defy international law with its actions in Palestine, and each new day of the occupation sees more Palestinians condemned to poverty and despair. We call on the Church of England to follow last week’s decision by the Anglican Consultative Council and vote now to divest from companies supporting the military occupation of Palestine. Actions not words are needed if we wish to see justice for the Palestinian people.”

War on Want fights poverty in developing countries in partnership and solidarity with people affected by globalisation. We campaign for workers’ rights and against the root causes of global poverty, inequality and injustice.